How do truck tires handle heavy cargoes without them popping because of the weight?

Question

How do truck tires handle heavy cargoes without them popping because of the weight?

In: 54

Answer 1

Imagine sitting on a single balloon and popping it.

Now imagine laying on a bed made up of 18 balloons. It would be hard to pop any of them.

This is basically the same idea, and truck tires are super thick and hold over 120psi which in ELI5 terms means that for every square inch of contact with the ground the air in the tire can support that much weight.

So as a thought experiment, a single tire with a theoretical 10” x 5” contact patch has enough air pressure to support 6000lb. Multiply that by 18 wheels and you get 108,000lb, with only 120psi in each tire.